Frost
Frosts (凍 (フロスト), Furosuto; Japanese for "Frozen") are supernatural beings that originated from the . In contrast to , beings with hearts that have been hollowed out, the Frosts are whose hearts have been 'frozen over'. It is believed they were originally a tribe of ancient who closed off their hearts out of fear that they would lose their hearts to despair and become mindless Hollows just like those around them. In the process, however, their tribe became 'just like ice and snow itself', cold and unfeeling; they were no longer alive but neither were they dead. They had evolved into some sort of inhuman existence that sits on the border between life and death. Overview History Powers The basis of a Frost's power is a phenomenon called "Everice" (永遠氷 (エバーライス), Ebaraisu; Japanese for "Eternal Ice"). It refers to the fact that the heart of a Frost is akin to ice itself; incapable of melting, eternally. They are incarnations of ice and snow, existing as personifications of coldness and the concept of frost, hence their name. They do not possess heartbeats nor do their bodies project warmth; they constantly exist in a state of death despite being alive. According to legend, the original Frosts were a tribe of humans who became filled with terror at the sight of their own fellow humans becoming monstrous Hollows after losing their hearts to despair and regret. Desperate to circumvent this fate that plagued them, they engaged in rituals in which they could freeze their hearts so as not to become consumed by their own human emotions. What resulted was a curse that befell their tribe, forcing them into an evolution; a metamorphosis in which they lost their humanity and became personifications of coldness that could neither be called alive nor dead. Rather, they existed as some form of inhuman life, resembling a state of immortality in some ways. While they could be killed, it was believed that because their hearts were frozen over, even in death they would be unable to enter the flow of souls. For a Frost to die means to disappear from this world forever. Of course, there are those that speculate that some Frosts, in their final moments, may experience warmth again after a lifetime of coldness; their hearts finally melting and allowing them to return to the circulation of souls. Unlike Hollows, Frosts do not possess . At least, not in the traditional sense. Normally, reiatsu flows outwards from one's heart. As long as the heart remains beating, reiatsu will continue to flow endlessly. But the Frosts are beings whose hearts do not beat in the normal sense of the word. As hearts that are frozen over, it means that reiatsu cannot flow naturally from them, and as such, Frosts are beings that do not emit spiritual pressure. In place of a pressure, their spiritual presence instead causes all warmth to be sucked out from the surroundings, whether they be living or not. Entire lands become nothing but frozen tundras simply by a Frost's existence. Rather than being called reiatsu, the more accurate term is Reikū (霊空, "Spiritual Void"), in which the Frost is an void that draws in all heat and erases it from existence. Reikū, therefore, can be called the Frost equivalent to a Shinigami's reiatsu. While some Frosts cannot control this phenomenon, others have learned to harness this innate power of theirs and only release it on their own whims. It is often said that Frosts possess 'Frozen Reiatsu', in that they do emit something that can be recognized as spiritual pressure, but that it does not register to the as such. If reiatsu can be likened to a flowing body of water, a Frost's spiritual pressure would be a frozen ice lake. Hjarn (凍体 (ヒャーン), Hyān; Old Norse for "Hard Snow", Japanese for "Frozen Body"): The body of a Frost often resembles that of a human, with some key differences on an individual basis, sometimes bordering on bestial. However, what is unique about their composition is that while their bodies resemble a living person, even down to its anatomy, there is no warmth that emanates from them. They are akin to a cold-blooded animal in many ways, despite their often pale and translucent skin; compared to that of undisturbed snow in an opening clearing. If injured, a Frost does not bleed and their skin does not tear. Instead, when a Frost suffers a physical wound, their skin cracks like that of ice. However, for one to suffer a wound is quite a phenomenon, for their skin and innards are resistant to nearly all forms of damage. Blades do little to injure them, and blunt force is often shrugged without consequence. Furthermore, their body possesses self-healing qualities. If their body is cracked, they often vanish and reform after a brief time; proportional to the power of the Frost themselves. The only wounds that a Frost is incapable of healing from are those dealt with fire. Flames, of a sufficient intensity and heat, are the only definite way to wound a Frost beyond the possibility of healing. However, particularly powerful Frosts are capable of snuffing out the flames that are used against them with their own reikū, but wounds sustained from fire cannot be restored even by their own natural healing ability. Ísabrot (イサブロット, Isaburotto; Old Norse for "Breaking up of Ice") Notable Frosts Behind the Scenes This concept was inspired by the Others from the novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire. It was originally meant to become a concept heavily based on the Yuki-onna from Japanese mythology, but rather than simply importing that concept over to Bleach, the author instead opted to develop a species that resembled them and perhaps could even be alluded to them, but ultimately were their own unique concept within the Bleach universe.